The Beast Within

Have you ever felt as if something was pushing your actions from within? It sounds a bit outlandish, but that was the sensation I had for a long time. I assumed it was a primitive part of the brain that had been left behind from our evolutionary past. What I didn't realize was that I was not totally human, and that there were realms that existed outside of what we can see with our eyes. This is the story of when I found out the truth. It was early in my junior year of college when it started. I had just finished C302 - Organic Chemistry - and was shoving my notes into my bookbag. The stadium seating had begun to creak and groan as everyone started to leave the room. I attempted to push all the distracting sounds and smells to the background. Professor Finkleberg was not the most progressive teacher - he was stuck in the past, unable to keep up with the modern digital models of today. I was eager to move on to the practical side of things, but I knew this wasn't going to be the case. As I stood up, a scent invaded my nostrils and the beast inside me stirred. Ahead of me was a redhead wearing a tight Kappa Phi Alpha shirt. I felt a strong urge to get a good whiff of her, but I managed to contain the beast. I had heard stories about how she would shut down any guy who tried to hit on her. I wasn't about to be one of those guys. The beast growled in frustration, but I ignored it. My friends found it amusing when I spoke of my inner beast, but I knew that they didn't understand the overwhelming feeling I had. I had learned to manage the beast, but it wasn't easy. After all, it did not control me.

I had gone to a doctor before in regards to the issue, yet they just wanted to put me on medication that would leave me in a daze. They didn't appear to recognize the true problem, and instead wanted to just make me a passive zombie and usher in the next patient. It was a challenge, one that I mostly kept to myself. Still, the "beast", as I would endearingly refer to my compulsion, didn't like staying quiet. Therefore, it often had me trying to keep it at bay so I could live my life. And while I could mostly control it, I still needed to work with it if I wanted to finish my degree and get into medical school. It was a balance between myself and the beast. My phone alerted me and I looked at it. "Wow!" Maddie was coming with us to the bar tonight. "Can you make it?" Frank, my roommate, and Maddie, a friend since the first year of school, were close to being a couple. Frank kept trying to win her over, and Maddie had been resistant until now. It was an odd pair - Frank was a flirt, and Maddie was more introverted. However, he was like Ahab and she was his white whale, and he was totally smitten with her. I was concerned that Frank would move on quickly after finally getting what he was after for two years, but I decided to keep my opinions to myself. It was their relationship, after all. I was at least getting better sleep since he had been trying to pursue her in the latest attempt. The walls between our bedrooms were thin, so I was aware of the situation. "Yeah, sure," I replied. "I just finished my last class of the day. See you at the apartment." I sent the message and wandered through campus, taking in the sights of the green lawns connected by cement pathways. The university was a beautiful sight compared to the rest of Philly. In the distance, the skyline of the city could be seen looming. It was a massive creature of progress and industry that had been gradually consuming the city for centuries.

The city and college were like two distinct realms, separated by nothing more than a single street. On the east side of campus were some of the newer apartment buildings, popular among the business students. Being a pre-med student, it wasn't the best fit for me, but I appreciated the quiet atmosphere. On the west side, the bar street cut right through the campus. The science buildings were nearby, a nice bonus after a late-night exam. As I made my way home, a sense of liberation buoyed my steps as I meandered through the crowds and hurried down the stairs. Without warning, a bicycle flew behind me and I managed to spin away just in time to avoid getting hit by the handlebars. Unfortunately, the young woman in front of me wasn't so lucky. The front tire of the bicycle slammed into her, sending both her and the rider down in a heap as the bike flipped and rolled into the grass. I rushed to help them up and asked, "Are you two okay?"

"Ugh." The burly biker rolled away from the female and stared vacantly at the sky. I could see he was alright, as he had been wearing a helmet. The girl, however, was not dressed for an incident. I knelt down and lightly tapped her. "Are you alright? I'm going to examine you." It wasn't often I got to use my EMT training for anything other than a sprained ankle. The aroma of cloves and vanilla hit me as I looked at her more intently. I recognized her to be the same sorority girl from class. The beast inside me stirred wildly at the prospect of saving her, but I pushed it to the back of my mind and focused. When she didn't respond to my voice or touch, I began with the basics, trying not to move her. I checked her pulse and then placed my finger under her nose to make sure she was still breathing. Both of these were normal, so she wasn't in any immediate danger.

A large crowd had gathered at the scene of the accident and two people were on their phones, presumably calling campus security. Two guys were helping the cyclist, who had an expression of bewilderment on his face, to his feet. When he saw his bike, he exclaimed in dismay as the front tire was badly damaged and unusable. His attention to the bike seemed to unsettle me, as I felt a surge of anger and the desire to confront him. I quickly shook it off, however, and turned my attention back to the girl. I started to do a check on her, but before I could, her eyes suddenly opened and she looked straight into mine. I was taken aback and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Nice contacts." I hadn't noticed them in class, but she had bright golden eyes, resembling that of a wild animal. I couldn't help but take a closer look, trying to find the edge of the contact lenses, but I couldn't. They looked so real. She furrowed her brow before asking, "What happened?" I explained, "A biker went down the steps. He clipped me and plowed into you." She started to get up and winced, her arm giving out when she got only a few inches off the ground. "Hey, careful. People already called the campus security. They'll come and call the EMT. I should know; I'm usually on the other end of those calls." I gave her a reassuring smile. But instead of relieved, she looked shocked, maybe even a little scared. "No. No hospital. I just need to get back home." Her shirt was pushed up, and I could already see a heavy bruise forming on her side along with her legs and a few nasty looking scrapes. I suspected she could have a hairline fracture in that arm. "I think you might need that arm checked out," I suggested, but my helpful comment only earned me a glare. "Help me up?" she asked. I thought it was a reasonable request, so I held her under the armpits and stood up, bringing her with me. The crowd cheered, seeing her getting back on her feet. She looked a bit battered, and she was still leaning on me heavily, yet she was still able to remain upright. "Want me to help you back to your place?" I asked. I hoped she would let me check her out once more when we got there. Perhaps she'd even let me persuade her to go to the hospital. "Yeah. That'd be nice. I don't want to put on a show here." She kept her head down and her bright orange hair shielded some of her face. "Come on." I wasn't going to leave her waiting. I supported her as we shuffled out of the crowd. She relied on me heavily, but seemed to be regaining her composure remarkably quickly. "This is terrible timing for me. You said you worked at the hospital?" I was disappointed when I realized I was not working for the hospital, but I was determined to make connections with the doctors there. I was hoping to get some shadowing or internship experience with one of them during the summer. "Do you think you can help me put my shoulder back in?" she asked me. I examined her shoulder and quickly realized it was dislocated. "No, you need to go to the hospital for this. There could be complications." She contemplated my suggestion before indicating an alley behind the library. "Let's go there, and you can try to put it back in place. I don't want to create a scene." I raised my hands. "Hold on. We should go to the hospital. That's the policy."

"You aren't working right now " She paused, her eyebrows furrowing for an instant. "What's your name?" "Greg Pendragon." I offered her a faint smile. It was the kind of response I usually got when I revealed my full name. "Like King Arthur?" she asked. "Yup, spelled the same too. But no relation," I joked, although I knew the name was a reminder of my birth parents. Humor was a good way to cover that up. "That's an awesome name. I'm Scarlett, I just transferred in this year. And now this happens the very first week. It's not easy making friends with the other girls." Her tone shifted as we moved around the back of the library. My beast stirred with anticipation, and I worked hard to suppress my reaction. Scarlett continued talking. "They aren't the same as at your last school?" I asked, trying to distract her from the pain as I considered how to go about relocating her shoulder. "No, they're all kinda wild. But this chapter of Kappa is a whole new level of crazy. I don't know why she had to come here." I was lost. "Who had to come here?" She made a face, as if trying to think up an answer. "My friend. She transferred with me. But she's getting here a week late. She arrives tomorrow." I drew out the word 'friend'. "No, not like that," she said, her cheeks blazing. "Men." She gave a scoff. "We've been best friends since we were little. Her dad arranged this total jerk to come here, and she had no choice but to follow."